


Their Power

by Sapphiria



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Blade!Rex, Canon-Typical Violence, Driver!Mythra, Driver!Pyra, Follows Main Storyline but there will be quite a few canon deviations, Gen, How Do I Tag, I watched a video of Flesh Eaters/Blade Eaters and this is the result of the whole Aegis Case, Me trying to explain core game aspects into a fic setting where it isn't a game, Read major canon deviations, Switching Roles from Driver to Blade and Vice Versa, Transformations... sorta... kinda... not really. Just with the whole switching thing., What If Rex Sorta Became a Aegis Because of His Half of the Core Crystal, What-If, alternative universe, i'm sorry in advance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-09-28 22:04:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20433200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphiria/pseuds/Sapphiria
Summary: In one universe, Pyra sharing her core life force with Rex lead to them being tied to mortality together, able to sense each other's pain and location, but that was it.In another, the X shaped half of the Emerald Core Crystal gave the Driver of the Aegis the same powers as the Blade he bonded with. That is this universe, and now the weight of Alrest's fate lies on the shoulder of two Aegises. One afraid of her power, the other learning how to use his. But together, their power will allow them to reach their goal of Elysium.





	1. His New Power, Her New Fears

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first Xenoblade Chronicles 2 fic, but it is not my first fanfic so keep that in mind. I've been wanting to write a fic for this game ever since I fell in love with it over a year ago and now, I've finally done it! 
> 
> After going through many ideas, I finally settled for this one after watching a video on Flesh Eaters that also explained Blade Eaters that theorised that the Blade part of Zeke's sword is from his quarter of Pandoria's Core Crystal, as is the Eye of Shining Justice so I thought, with half of the Aegis' core... what could Rex do? So I made him a Blade... kinda. You'll see, I guess. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!  
~Sapphiria

Finding Nia and Dromarch was proving to be a bit more difficult than Rex had originally anticipated. Whilst yes, Gramps had taught him how to fight and use Arts growing up and yes, he had seen plenty of Driver and Blade skirmishes on the docks of Argentum, he couldn’t quite get the hang of being a Driver himself. Pyra, bless her, was quite patient with him and would happily repeat herself when she explained elements, ether and specials to him as they searched through the lower level of the Gormott Titan. After the… moment they just had with Gramps, who Rex now had to resist the urge of calling him Baby Gramps, he too began to help try and teach Rex the basics of being a Driver whilst inquiring about the half of a Core Crystal that was now implanted into his chest. All in all, things were going alright, the enemies in the surrounding area weren’t too hard to deal with thanks to their weakness to the fire element.

That was until one big arse Brog decided it would spot them calmly walking past and decide to attack, one that was way too strong for a beginner to be handling. Pyra tried to shield Rex as much as she could, occasionally sending fire blasts towards the thing to whittle down its health. Rex kept on using his Arts, making the most of Anchor Shot to keep the darn thing in place. When the Brog seemed to be on its last legs, he decided that a special would be able to finish it off and handed the Aegis Sword over to Pyra to end the fight with Flame Nova. As Pyra was directing her sword into a circle of flame, the Brog saw the opening the two had left and sent a pressured glob of water in Rex’s direction. When the Blade and Driver realised what was going on, it was too late for either to do anything about it.

“Rex!” Pyra yelled as a warning, eyes begging him to try and dodge. Rex, however, was knackered and wasn’t used to constant fighting so the only energy he had left was used to raise his arms in a brace position, hoping that he could survive the hit. He closed his eyes just before impact only to remain surprised when he felt nothing. Opening his eyes revealed he was behind a shield, just like the ones Pyra made but a bit less polished with the frame not having its usual sharpness.

“Thanks, Pyra!” He smiled at her, as she had finished her move and the Brog collapsed before vanishing into particles. “You really saved my skin there.”

“That wasn’t me, Rex,” she was still holding onto the sword, checking him over worriedly to make sure he was entirely okay. Though – they had realised after Rex had gotten electrocuted one time that the two of them felt each other’s pain – if he had been hurt then she would be feeling it too. “I had no way of making that shield.”

“Then…” Rex frowned, completely confused. If it wasn’t Pyra who had shielded him, and Gramps had been dozing away in his helmet the entire fight, then who? “… Who shielded me? I don’t see another Driver and Blade near us and I’m sure we’d know if Nia and Dromarch were here right now.” Pyra’s expression changed to one that was deep in thought as she ran through the possible scenarios of how this could happen when she suddenly turned pale.

“Rex… I’m going to ask you something and I want you to answer honestly, okay?” Her tone was quiet and sombre as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Ever since I gave you half my Core Crystal, have you felt anything… unusual? Anything that you don’t normally fell or sense?”

“Well, now that you mention it…” Rex began to scratch at his cheek, feeling guilty for not telling her beforehand. “I kinda get this feeling of like an extra something in the air but it’s not air… I dunno how to describe it really, but it kinda feels like the affinity bond we have when fighting, ya know?”

“Oh no…” Pyra mumbled, face aghast as she now realised what she had done. Instead of just sharing her life force with Rex, she had done something even worse. “… No, this can’t be happening.”

“Pyra, what can’t be happening?” Rex could feel her trembling from her hand alone, he gently held it whilst trying to reassure her. “It’ll be okay, I promise!”

“No, Rex it won’t,” she looked close to tears. “I gave you half of my Core Crystal to bring you to life, to act in place of your heart after you were stabbed. But instead, your half has done something I thought was impossible…”

“Done what?” When Pyra didn’t answer him, Rex began to feel a bit fearful. “Done what, Pyra?”

“It’s given you access to the powers of a Blade, more specifically it’s given you access to my powers,” she finally answered. “Rex, it’s made you into an Aegis.”

“It’s made him what?!” It was at this point they realised Gramps was awake and it was at this point the entire weight of what Pyra had said rested in Rex’s mind. He wasn’t a full human, not anymore, cause now he was part Blade. Part Aegis.

Oh shit.

~0~o~0~

After managing to calm Gramps down, who had actually been awake their entire conversation earlier, Pyra found a small patch of monster free grass that was shaded by a root for them to sit down in. Once all settled and comfortable, her smile wavered as she twiddled her hands.

“There was a rare chance this could happen,” she explained, eyes locked onto the Core Crystal half in Rex’s chest. “By giving half of my Core, it was allowing the possibility for you to potentially gain the abilities of Blades and my own power as the Aegis. I thought it was near on impossible, a human becoming a Blade or at least partially being one but… I guess I was wrong. Maybe in another world or time, we wouldn’t be having this conversation as the odds were so slim.”

“So…” Gramps was sat in between the two, the Titan was going over the explanation of how Rex got the Core Crystal half, which was followed by a yelling for getting himself killed, and how this could have happened mentally. “… What you’re saying, Pyra, is that my Rex is technically a Blade now? Am I right?”

“I guess so,” her red eyes trailed down to the grass as she played with it delicately. “Aegis’ are special cases, so being able to still be a Driver whilst also being a Blade makes sense…” The unmentioned knowledge of Malos being a Driver whilst still being the other Aegis went unspoken between both her and the small Titan. “… I’m so sorry, Rex. I never meant for this to happen.”

“It’s fine,” Rex’s dismissive yet joyful tone shocked the other two. “I mean, I’m actually kinda happy it did happen!”

“What do you mean, my boy?” Gramps asked, not entirely understanding his teenaged charge’s thought process.

“I have the power to protect Pyra now,” Rex admitted, grinning at the thought of potentially creating fire in his hands. “I can defend myself so she doesn’t have to worry about me getting hurt when she’s using the sword. And, if I really do have some of the Aegis’ power now, then Pyra could potentially get a rest from keeping me going, she could take the lead and I could support her…”

“Oh, Rex,” Pyra properly smiled, no longer feeling incredibly guilty about the situation. “That’s very kind of you to say.”

“No, I mean it, Salvager’s honour!” He stood up, placing his hands on his hips. “If you’d teach me, I mean, I’d be more than happy to be your support. I bet you’d make a better Driver than I am…”

“You’re only just starting out,” she shook her head at his partial self-deprecation, however still continued to smile with more energy as time went on. “But I’d be more than happy to help you control the ether. So, let’s get started!” Pyra clapped her hands together, putting on a more teacherly persona to help Rex better. “First, you’re going to need to sit down. It’s easier if you can be the best position for your first time. I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself if something went wrong.”

“Right, sorry!” Rex plopped himself down, legs crossed, as he eagerly waited for the next step. “Now what?”

“Close your eyes and focus,” Pyra instructed, doing exactly what she was saying with Rex copying her. “Now focus only on that feeling, the feeling similar to our affinity. That’s ether. Blades automatically draw in ether from the air into our Core Crystals so don’t worry about that. Instead, what I want you to do is hold out your hand and imagine drawing the particles of ether in the air towards you, forming a flame in the palm of your hand.” She held her own hand out, a larger flame took shape and began to dance up towards the sky. “Concentrate or else it won’t work.”

Rex held out his own hand, focusing on the feeling from earlier, on the extra thing in the air. In his mind, he imagined these particles like dust, constantly floating around them and imagined them moving together, melting into each other to make a small flame. A sudden feeling of heat hit his right hand, but he didn’t dare to open his eyes in case it went wrong.

“Well done, Rex!” Gramps’ cheer made him leave his thoughts and back to the real world, opening his eyes to see a wobbly flame blazing proudly in the palm of his hand. It wasn’t as big as Pyra’s but it was there, he had literally made fire out of ether. Looking at Pyra, he saw her proud smile, her joy at his own reaction to his creation.

“Great!” She beamed, the fire in her own hand grew with her happiness. “Now I think we should work on making that flame bigger and controlling it better. Once you’ve gotten used to the ether, then it’ll be much easier! Who knows, maybe we’ll have mastered your control over the ether today and then we can think about switching roles in battle, okay?”

They quickly got to work, with Pyra coming up with more exercises to get Rex more used to controlling the Ether around him to make fire. This ranged from small flames to lighting a campfire to creating huge balls of fire. Once Pyra was satisfied with the results, she brought the Aegis Sword into it, showing Rex her specials and asking him to copy to see how well he could channel the ether into the weapon. Then she began correcting his shield, warning that a sloppy shield could easily break and a Blade’s shield could be the difference between life and death in a real battle. By the time they had finished, it was getting late so they set up camp for the night and roasted some fish they found on a stick on a campfire Rex had set up.

“What’s the matter, my boy?” Gramps asked as he noticed Rex wasn’t eating.

“I’m just worried about Nia and Dromarch,” The boy replied, sighing as he looked at his food. “I mean, today’s been great but I kinda forgot about them with everything and they could be in danger… or dead…”

“We would have known about it if they had,” Pyra spoke calmly with a soft reassuring tone to her voice. “When a Driver and Blade fight they stir up the ether in the atmosphere, causing ripples like in water. And when a Driver dies, their Blade lets out any excess ether they have in their Core Crystals before reverting, which would cause a disturbance. Same with if a Blade’s Core Crystal is destroyed. We would have felt the Ether ripple. And Azurda saw them alive when we crashed, Titans too can sense ether, so he would have known if there was something wrong, right Azurda?”

“Right!” The tiny Titan nodded, holding his stick of fish comedically as it was too big for his current size. “I’m sure they’re doing the same thing we’re doing right now. If anything, they’ll already have healed themselves from the crash and are regaining their energy as we speak.”

“I hope so…” Rex, now more reassured, began to eat with a renewed vigour much to Gramps’ disappointment due to his lack of manners. Pyra giggled at the scolding Titan and Rex’s antics, simply grateful that everything had turned out okay. Whilst she was somewhat surprised of Rex’s ability to quickly grasp everything she’d taught him today, a part of her reminded herself that his part of their Core Crystal most likely was doing its part in making the process feel a bit more natural. All they needed to do tomorrow was go over how to properly pass ether through the affinity bond and then they could easily switch between positions. It sort of reminded her of 500 years ago, how Mythra fought with Addam and how they switched between support and frontline attacker. However, Addam didn’t have the powers of a Blade like Rex does. She sighed deeply, realising she shouldn’t think about that right now. It wouldn’t have any use to them at this moment so why bring up past failures?

They finished eating and quietly wished each other a good night, falling asleep almost instantly after the day’s events. The next morning, Pyra had gotten up early to scavenge anything that would cook up to make a decent breakfast, however since there wasn’t much the group of three ended up with fish on a stick again. With food in their systems, Pyra set to work on the final stage of teaching.

“So, the most important thing a Blade does in battle outside of specials and shields is actually allowing the Driver to fight and use our weapons in combat,” she explained, acting very much like a schoolroom teacher. “Through affinity links, we Blades send ether from our cores to our Drivers. There are three stages of affinity links; a weak affinity which looks very faint and is a pale blue, a normal affinity which is more visible and is a stronger blue and a strong affinity which is gold and creates an aura around both the Blade and the Driver. The stronger the affinity link, the more ether is being passed between both of us. Some specials rely on having a strong affinity link, like our Burning Sword. You got that?”

“Yep!” Rex answered.

“Since as a Driver, you already know how an affinity link feels like,” Pyra continued, using her power to start up their affinity link. The barely visible line of ether was there, wavering between the two of them. “However, you only know how it feels to receive the ether. For us to be able to switch roles in battle, you need to know how to give it. So, what I want you to do is to feel the affinity link, get used to handling so much ether at once and then I want you to push it towards me.” She held the Aegis Sword, which wasn’t fully operational since the ether wasn’t being sent to it. “If it works, our sword should spring to life, and then I know we’ll be fully able to switch roles whenever we like.”

“Got it.” Rex followed Pyra’s instructions, just like he had the previous day with creating the fire. He focused on the feeling of the ether, how it moved and wiggled between them, actually feeling quite proud as he noticed the link become less transparent and turn a brighter shade of blue. Once he was sure he had a grasp of it, he mentally imagined pushing the ether towards Pyra. A moment later, the Aegis Sword spluttered to life, shifting so that the flames could burn from out the side. They weren’t as big as they normally were but they were still there.

“Congratulations, the both of you,” Gramps applauded from Rex’s helmet. “I can see that coming in handy in the future.”

“You should thank Pyra, Gramps,” Rex smiled at her, grateful for her methods of teaching. “It’s all thanks to her we’re able to do this.”

“Rex, you need to start realising that your part in this was bigger than mine,” she sighed softly with a gentle smile. “I just told you what to do. You’re a fast learner.”

“Well either way,” Pyra could tell Rex was blushing from the compliments, which she found quite endearing. “Maybe, in the next battle, we could try it out? You as the Driver and me as the Blade?”

“Of course,” she said, handing the sword back to Rex. “We’ll find a monster that won’t be too dangerous for our level and we can try it out. That way, if something goes wrong we won’t be in too much…” Pyra froze mid-sentence as a huge ripple of ether hit her like a wave, Rex must have felt it too as he almost fell over in shock. “… That ripple in the ether, it’s close by.”

“That means a Driver and Blade are fighting, right?” Rex quickly hooked their sword onto his container on his back. “It could be Nia and Dromarch.”

“Let’s hurry then.” Pyra and Rex shared a glance, nodded in confirmation. Rex grabbed his detached helmet and clipped it on quickly.

“Right!”

~0~o~0~

Nia grumbled as she jumped out of the way of the Brog’s tongue, it was just her luck that she stumbled into a unique monster whilst searching around for Rex and the Titan that saved their lives. She slashed her rings at it, happy that she managed to nick it’s appendage. She felt sluggish and dizzy, as if her health was on the decline. It didn’t help that the Brog was able to heal itself and without having an elemental advantage against it, they would remain in a standstill until help came or until she died at its hands. There was no bloody way she was dying today so she hoped that someone would be coming this way.

“My Lady!” Dromarch yelled, jumping in front of her to block a hit with his shield. “You must run, I’ll hold this foul beast off!” The Brog seemed to be highly pissed off at being called foul and sent a jet of water at them, pushing them back by dragging them across the ground. Nia knew she didn’t have enough ether just yet for another Healing Halo, nor could she use Jaguar Slash to summon a health potion for her to use without potentially being knocked out.

“Are you… out of your… bloody mind?!” Though her words were weak, the implications behind them reached Dromarch loud and clear. “I’m not leaving you on your own!” Dromarch’s shield broke from the constant pressure of the water jet, sending the two flying backwards onto the ground. Nia saw the Brog charge up to send another jet their way, growling at the fact she only needed just a bit more ether…

“Take this!” A voice yelled, gaining the Brog’s attention as a blast of fire hit it directly in its face. Whilst Nia was proud to say in other circumstances she would have happily mocked the monster’s misery, right now she was more focused on who had just saved her life, yet again.

“Rex?” The salvager had rushed over to her, Pyra using her own shield to block the group from danger as her Driver helped Nia back onto her own two feet. “Not that I’m complaining, but where the hell did you come from?”

“I don’t think there’s any time for that right now,” Rex immediately pulled the dormant Aegis Sword from its holster and his affinity link with Pyra burst to life. “I’ll answer questions later, alright?”

“Gotcha.” Nia nodded, spinning her Twin Rings around in her hands raising one above her head as she healed herself and the others. “Alright, plan?”

“They’re weak to fire, right? Pyra and I will keep its attention, and you focus on what you do best.” Whilst it was obviously one of the most reckless plans she had ever heard in her life, Nia knew it was probably the best one they had right now. She, as a healer, wasn’t able to take hits as well as Rex probably could and even then, he did have the advantage. It was, however, a two-way street and that the water of the Brog would hurt them a lot more than it would hurt her.

“Sounds like a plan then,” she affirmed that she was on board, waiting for Rex to make his first strike against the monster so that she could sneak around to the side and do more damage that way with constant slashes. It would allow for them to cut through the skin and slowly reduce the amount of health the thing had, unique monsters were known for their absurdly high health. Nia felt the heat of the red sword connecting with the Brog’s head, glad Healing Halo helped with aches and pains as she rushed to the monster’s side. “Ready when you are!” She yelled as she began to slash with her rings, Dromarch right behind her ready to use a special whenever.

“Thanks Nia!” Rex yelled back, grateful that both the Aegis Sword worked the same as his old broadsword and for Nia’s help. Two drivers attacking an enemy was better than one, after all. The two fell into a set pattern, Rex would build up his arts and pass the sword to Pyra for a Prominence Revolt whilst Nia would back it up with one of Dromarch’s Aqua Waves, which also helpfully healed everyone in the process. Unfortunately, even with the two of them tag teaming the Brog, it kept on healing itself and drawing allies from out of the ground. Rex’s lack of experience in long lasting fights was showing, his pace was slowing down and he was starting to pant for air. Nia was about to say something when Pyra pipped her to it.

“Rex, are you alright? Do you need a break?” The fire element Aegis asked with concern plastered across her face.

“Kinda…” Rex gave her a look, one that was pleading to her. “Could we swap?”

“Now? Would you be able to…?” Pyra relaxed somewhat when Rex gave her a thumbs up before jumping out of the way of yet another water jet. “So, how do we do this?”

“Uhh, maybe yell switch?” Whilst his suggestion was probably the simplest out there, it worked for her.

“Switch!” Pyra yelled, running forwards as Rex threw the Aegis Sword up in the air.

Nia, who had no idea what the heck they were doing, watched as Pyra grabbed the handle of the sword whilst Rex placed a hand on his right shoulder with the right arm outstretched. She felt as if she wanted to laugh, there was no way a Driver and a Blade could swap roles. Only the sentence she was going to yell at the two idiots died on her lips as the affinity link flared between them again and they glowed with fire, vanishing in the light of the flames. When the fire died down, the two had changed appearances.

Pyra was now no longer in her usual outfit, instead she reminded Nia heavily of the armour that Malos wore only with red and gold accents to a more feminine friendly design. Rex, on the other hand, still retained his salvager uniform but it was now red, just like his eyes and hair. Pyra’s floaty fabric ‘wings’ were now attached to his back, and her crown was on his head. It was as if the two had literally swapped places.

The female… Driver?... ran much faster than Rex had before, swinging the now lit sword with pinpoint accuracy, aiming for every single one of the Brog’s weak points. Pyra wasn’t wildly attacking like most newbie drivers, like Rex was, despite the fact she was a Blade moments ago she was fighting as if she had been a Driver her whole life. As for Rex… well it was as if he had always been a Blade. Sure, some of his shields weren’t perfect but he was constantly back Pyra up, sending fire blasts at the Brog to allow Pyra to get some extra sneak hits in or deter it from healing.

Once Nia realised yes, this was happening and yes, they were still in the middle of a fight, she leapt in too. With their combined efforts of slashing and trickery, mostly from Nia moving around to attack from the sides and back, they noticed the Brog was becoming sluggish and uneasy on its own legs.

“Just a little more,” Pyra muttered, re-adjusting her grip on the Aegis Sword. “Nia! Ready for a Combo?!”

“Alright, Dromarch!” Nia called to her Blade, who nodded in response. “We’re ready!”

“Rex, let’s go!” The red-haired woman passed the weapon over to Rex, who leapt into the air and slammed the blade of the Aegis Sword into the ground, creating a fiery aftershock that pushed the Brog towards the healers.

“On you go!” Nia threw her rings to Dromarch, who sent them flying in circles around them with the water created from the ether healing the party whilst simultaneously hurting the monster. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the unique Brog croaked and fell on its side melting into glowing particles that dispersed themselves amongst the ether. She breathed a sigh of relief, reattaching her Twin Rings to her belt before everything truly sunk in. “What the bloody hell is going on here?” Both Pyra and Rex were looking at her sheepishly, trying to avoid her eyes as much as possible.

“We… err… can explain…” Pyra spoke, quite flustered at the sudden questioning.

“And you two shall,” A fluffy little thing poked its head out of Rex’s helmet, which Nia made a note of to ask who they were. “However, for a first-time attempt, that was rather extraordinary.”

“And who the hell are you?!” Nia pointed to the fluffball, who gasped and muttered something about youth and respecting their elders.

“What My Lady wishes to say is, who are you, kind sir?” Dromarch translated gently, as not to anger Nia’s already short temperament.

“It’s Gramps,” Rex interrupted, still seeming somewhat furious at the thing in his helmet. “He thought it would be funny to make me blubber like an idiot thinking he was gonna die.”

“Wait, what?!” Nia came closer, squinting at the fluffy Titan, wondering how on earth he could have shrunk so much. “How the…?”

“I am sure you all have questions,” the Titan, or Gramps as Rex called him, said as the Aegis and her Driver – or was that the other way around – reverted back to their usual appearances with a flash of fire. “But for now, maybe we should find a spot to camp for the night. You have been fighting for a long time, and I’m sure the past two days have been draining.”

“That makes sense…” The Gormotti Driver pointed to a spot nearby, just off from a small body of water right in front of them. “That’s the safest place, with big ol’ Brogs here done in for. The grass’ll make it a bit comfier too.”

“Then it’s settled, shall we set up?”

~0~o~0~

Rex was surprised to find Nia taking their story in as well as she was, leaning against Dromarch’s side as a fire burned in front of them. The scavenging alone had taken a couple of hours to find decent berries and fish to eat, with the best wood for slow burning to keep everyone warmer for longer. As he finished up their tale, Nia simply folded her arms and looked up at the sky.

“So, lemme get this straight. Instead of just giving you half her Core Crystal to revive you, you’re now a Blade and an AEGIS Blade at that. So, the two of you have devised a system so that the both of you can benefit from taking both roles,” she then turned her head to the Titan snuggling up in Rex’s now detached helmet. “And you’re a special type of Titan that can revert yourself back to a larvae stage upon near death, nice to know Gramps. Wow, your stories sound like they’ve come out of a fairy-tale or somethin’.”

“No kidding.” Rex mumbled, wiggling a bit on the log they’d dragged over to make into a bench to get comfy.

“And you’re heading to Elysium?” Nia finished, placing her hands behind her head. “That made up place that they speak of in children’s books? Do you even know how to get there, let alone get off Gormott?”

“Well no,” The boy said, frowning into the fire. “But it was in Pyra’s memories, so it must have existed. It was just as beautiful as I had imagined it! Just seeing a part of it, you could tell that everyone could live there. No more wars, fighting over land, none of that. It would be perfect, so that’s where Pyra and I are headed.”

“You’re really sure about this, huh?” The Gormotti girl smiled, wondering whether or not such a place really did exist. “Alright, well if you wanna reach Elysium, I’d better take you to Torigoth first. There you can sleep in an inn, find a ship that’ll take you to the World Tree or whatever and boom. You’re there.”

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy…” Pyra admitted nervously, somewhat unhappy at Nia’s choice of phrasing. “But heading to the nearest big town would be a good way to get our bearings.”

“Then it’s settled,” Nia yawned loudly, leaning further into Dromarch’s fur. “We’ll get some sleep, then I’ll take you all to Torigoth in the mornin’, alright?”

“Yeah, thanks Nia.” Rex gave her a huge grin, to which she just smiled back at.

“Don’t mention it,” she said sleepily. “The least Dromarch and I could do for you saving our lives, twice.” Pyra must have noticed Rex’s eyes start to droop as she gently clapped her hands together with a soft smile forming on her lips.

“Alright, better rest up everyone. Goodnight!” Various forms of goodnight were thrown back at her until after a while, the only thing that could be heard in the camp were Nia’s loud snores and the occasional sleep talking sentence from Gramps.

~0~o~0~

“Couldn’t sleep, Azurda?” Pyra asked, feeling the small Titan fly up next to her from the helmet. She’d felt his gaze on her, for a while after he had awoken from some kind of dream. Whilst not certain, she had the feeling he was assessing her. Overprotective was the word she would use to describe his actions, Rex must mean a lot to him. 

“Not really, not after seeing what happened today.” Azurda admitted, which turned her mind to when she’d switched roles with Rex. They were lucky it had worked so well for the first time, even with the added… features. 

“I had no idea us switching would do that,” she told him, thinking back to when she was in the more Driver friendly armour, more protective and bulky compared to what she was used to. However, Drivers need to be protected, Blades normally stuck to the back lines and weren’t the ones getting pummelled with attacks. The fact Rex also changed to suit that physicality of Blade and Driver fighting would help trick people into thinking she was a real Driver, especially if rumours about the Aegis had already started spreading thanks to the Argentum salvagers. “But I think that it helps make it more… realistic…” Azurda gave her a serious look, one that demanded truthfulness.

“Pyra, why do you want to go to Elysium? Is it to defeat Malos?” There it was, the sole reason for her awakening. Malos, it was always Malos. If Malos was heading to Elysium himself to restore his destroyed Core Crystal, then she needed to get there first to stop him whilst he was still weakened. Even without Mythra’s power, without the true power, she was sure she could potentially do it. 

“Yes, that’s one reason,” her face quivered as she began to remind herself of the other reason, the reason she had been planning with Mythra during her 500 years of sleep. To be honest, after her awakening, she hadn’t thought about it one. “Another is to do with a more… personal request.” Luckily for her, Azurda decided against pushing her for details, to which she was grateful of him for. 

“You should tell Rex about this, especially since it is now his duty too,” The grandfatherly tone sunk in, proving her thoughts from earlier right. Azurda truly cared about Rex, in a way she was beginning to care for him to. She had only known Rex for two days and even if they weren’t in the situation they were currently in, Pyra knew that she would do anything within her power to protect him. “The duty of the Aegis, the duty to defeat Malos.”

“I know, Azurda,” Pyra sighed deeply, wishing that it wasn’t the case. “I will tell Rex, soon, but I can’t right now.” The nerves and worry in her voice must have pushed through because Azurda gave her a knowing glance that was laced with a calming kindness.

“I understand, my dear. Do you wish for me to keep quiet about this?” She simply nodded back at his question.

“If you would, please.”

“Goodnight Pyra, get some sleep,” Azurda’s grandfatherly instincts were turned on her now, telling her what he believed was best for helping her out with what tomorrow might hold. If she was able to sleep and be in top form for tomorrow, then in his eyes, he’d know that Rex would be safe. “Architect knows you will need it for the trek tomorrow.”

“I will, goodnight Azurda.” Pyra returned to staring out at the trickle of water running down the rocky skin of the Gormott Titan. Her duty to defeat Malos, to save the world from his purging, had been passed onto Rex also through no choice of his own. She needed to tell him, but that meant talking about the Aegis War, and Mythra…

She decided that she would cross that hurdle when she came to it, for now Rex deserved to learn how to control his new abilities in peace, without the weight of Alrest resting upon his shoulders. Pyra would make sure he was safe…

… Aegis’ honour. 


	2. Across the Plains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex learns more about what it means to be a blade, the group almost have an encounter with a very Grumpy Gogol named Rotbart and Brighid is in for a surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! The only reason why you're getting this today and not yesterday is cause my bloody computer decided to delete all my words. All 5000 and so of them because of a restart I had to do that messed with my zipdrive.
> 
> Anyways, negatives over, thank you all so much for the positive reviews and kudos. I'm surprised people like this idea so much. Whilst this chapter, and possibly the next one may be quite canon close, Uraya is where the fun truly begins so please bear with me until then.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!

The next day brought a new vigour to the group, their steps upbeat as they left the lower levels of the Gormott Titan and towards the higher levels where Torigoth resided. If Nia was right, they should easily reach Torigoth by the early afternoon, even factoring in time for training and any wild encounters they may come across on the Garanti Plains. Whilst the climbing was a bit of a slog, and by that it was a slog for Dromarch who kept on sliding down the ivy walls that the others had climbed up before him, they had managed to make it to the Outlook Knoll without too much of a fuss. The view from the outlook showed sprawling plains of green; a mixture of lakes and rivers and waterfalls, an island sprouting from the roots of the Titan dipping towards the cloud sea and finally a far off walled city which contrasted the brightness of its surroundings with more pastel colours.

“Wow, what a view,” Pyra marvelled at the scenery, knowing for a fact this hadn’t been there 500 years ago. “Gormott is truly a breath-taking place.”

“Glad ya think so,” Nia scoffed under her breath once she’d spoke before muttering to herself. “It hasn’t changed a bit.”

“Are you okay, Nia?” Looking into Rex’s worried eyes, she nodded. She couldn’t let them get suspicions, but knowing the salvager then he’d probably assume that she had a bad home life or something similar.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she returned her focus to the view of the plains of Gormott, planning their route in her head. “So, to get to Torigoth we gotta pass through the Garanti Plains and the Plains of Evening Calm. There are monsters everywhere but if we’re careful we can avoid the more dangerous ones. Once we get to the Plains of Evening Calm, we’d gotta be extra careful to avoid him…” She shared a glance with Dromarch, who nodded back to her in understanding. “… By then we should be home safe to Torigoth.”

“Umm, Nia?” Pyra raised her hand slightly, her face slightly flustered by potentially interrupting the Gormotti Driver. “May I ask you something?”

“You just did,” Nia couldn’t help but grin when that made Pyra even more flustered. “Go on then. What is it?”

“Would it be alright if we get into a couple of fights along the way?” At the raised eyebrow she was being given, Pyra went on to explain in more detail. “Whilst our attempt at our new switching style was good, Rex and I still need to get used to taking on each other’s role. I might be alright in fighting but I’m still not fully aware of what is expected of a Driver, and Rex is not fully used to the powers he can use as a Blade. Practice makes perfect so I was wondering…”

“… Wondering if we could get into some fights along the way to test that, huh?” Nia crossed her arms, expression thoughtful. “Hey, Dromarch? Would you be able to help teach Rex some things about being a Blade? I’ll work with Pyra, but I need to make sure you’re okay with it.”

“Of course, My Lady,” Dromarch bowed his head respectfully. “I will do my utmost best to help Rex reach his true potential.”

“Thanks a bunch, Dromarch!” Rex smiled to the beast Blade, one that was kindly returned. “I guess you’ll be needing this.” He unclipped the Aegis Sword from its holder on his back, handing it gently over to Pyra. She took it, muttering under her breath before the two flashed with fire which changed their appearances to the same ones they had during the Brog fight. Beside them, Nia groaned as lights danced over her vision from staring directly at them when it happened.

“Warn me next time the two of you do that,” she complained quite loudly, rubbing her closed eyelids to try and dispel the shapes. “Hey, why does that happen to you two anyway?”

“I was just wondering the same thing myself,” Dromarch padded around the two, nearly sneezing when one of the wing like capes got too close to his nose, accepting Rex’s apologetic look as he pulled them out of the way. “Although, looking at the two of you I would definitely assume Rex was the Blade without prior knowledge.”

“I think that’s the reason why too,” Pyra admitted, checking over her armour and chest plate which covered up her half of the emerald Core Crystal. Despite it looking very much like Malos’ armour, Pyra couldn’t help but like it as it fitted nice and provided more than enough protection for her entire body. “Plus, with a Driver being in the frontline, they take most of the hits and my usual attire wouldn’t have helped with that. I’m just grateful it ended up this way, that’s all.” With a sudden burst of confidence, she gave Rex a sneaky grin. “And, by the way, tiara really suits you Rex.”

“I thought of it more like a headband but, whatever floats your boat.” The younger male replied, fiddling with it carefully.

“Well then, we should get going if we’re gonna reach Torigoth by this afternoon and get a few practise fights in,” Nia lead them towards a slope, only to stop and grin, slowly swiping her arm to her left. “Ladies first.” Instead of Rex getting angry and yelling, she was surprised to see him barge past with a pleased smile on his face.

“Heck yeah, I’m a Queen!” Pyra giggled as she followed him, leaving Nia to reboot what she had just heard exactly. Dromarch appeared at her side, imparting his infinite wisdom upon his Driver.

“Well, you and Pyra both set it up for him, My Lady.”

“Yah don’t say.”

~0~o~0~

Entering the Garanti Plain was like entering an entirely different world from the muggier and shaded lower levels. The footpath through the plains had been overgrown with grass and wildflowers, probably since those who traversed it walked their own path through the land. There were monsters everywhere, some herded in groups whilst some lounged out in the mid-morning sun. Some were even watching their prey with baited breath, planning the best moment to pounce for their lunch. Trees of all varieties provided shade for the creatures and travellers alike, making perfect places to just sit and watch the world go by. For Rex, seeing such a sprawling landscape up close was awe inspiring. Fonsett Island had greenery, but not as vast and diverse as this and Argentum couldn’t even compare to what Gormott had on offer. From the look on Pyra’s face, she fully agreed with his view on the plains, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide. Nia, however was busy searching for an easy enemy to practise against when her eyes landed on a lone Bunnit.

“Okay, found our first target,” she pulled her Twin Rings from her belt, turning her attention to Pyra. “You two, get ready. We’re gonna see how you handle this. Bunnits are the easiest things to fight on the plains so they’ll make great practise tests. Pyra, sword out. Rex, get ready. We’re going in!” Following Nia’s instructions, Pyra drew the Aegis Sword from her back. Both Blades instantly kicked into action, starting the affinity links between them and their Drivers. The two Drivers rushed at the Bunnit, who finally noticed their approach and screeched out loudly, alerting a group of Bunnit who were lingering near to their location. “Shit, they called for allies. Pyra, we’re in for the long run!”

“Got it!” Pyra nodded, taking a spinning swing at the original Bunnit which managed to connect. However, it didn’t do nearly enough damage to her liking. The two women attacked with all they had, getting visibly pissed off that next to none of their attacks would hit.

“This is getting bloody annoying,” Nia groaned as a Bunnit hopped over a double slash once again. “Dromarch?”

“Of course, My Lady.” Dromarch bowed the front of his body towards the ground as a large pulse of ether ran through their affinity link, giving Nia a glowing blue aura once it arrived on her end. All of a sudden, he attacks and arts seemed to be hitting a lot more often then they had been a moment ago.

“Hey, Dromarch,” Rex asked, quickly putting up a shield to save Pyra from a bite to the neck from one of the Bunnit. “What was that you just did there?”

“That, my friend, was a Blade art,” The white beast kindly explained, remembering what his Driver had instructed him to do. “As well as creating shields and providing our Drivers with ether, us Blades have our own set of arts that help out during battle. The art I just used boosted My Lady’s accuracy, which was indeed quite useful against the enemies we are currently facing.”

“However, Rex,” Gramps spoke up from the helmet, having dozed off with how comfy it was in there with the extra heat Rex was producing due to his fire element. “Each Blade has their own unique Blade arts, so yours would be different from Dromarch’s. Just send a larger pulse of ether at Pyra and see what it does. That’s all there is to it!”

“Actually, it’s not…” Dromarch seemed quite ticked off that he had been interrupted mid lecture but they had more important things to focus on. “… No matter, that may be indeed the best way to phrase it for someone who has never used their Blade arts before. Imagine pushing a larger amount of ether through the link to your Driver, and the buff should work immediately.”

“Here goes…” Mentally, Rex imagined the pulse of ether like he had seen with Dromarch’s affinity link, even pushing his hands forwards to mimic the act, sending a smaller pulse through his own link with Pyra. It had worked, as shown by the red aura now surrounding Pyra’s form. She sent him a grateful smile, before whacking the Aegis Sword down on the head of the Bunnit that had tried to bite her next, only to be shocked when the creature faded into ether particles upon contact with the sword and the ground.

“Critical Up? Nice,” Nia complimented, throwing her rings for a Jaguar Slash. “Is that one of your Blade arts?”

“No, it’s not,” Pyra replied, trying to hide her worried tone. Whilst she didn’t have Critical Up as one of her Blade arts, Mythra did, making her wonder if the Core Crystal sharing could have damaged her upon their awakening. However, it could be that it was just a coincidence that they had the same art since one of Rex’s Driver arts allowed him to critical hit easily during a side attack. “I guess Rex has his own arts compared to me.”

“That makes sense,” Nia grabbed the handles of her weapons after her art, immediately slashing on the next Bunnit in the horde. “You two aren’t the same person, after all.”

“Yeah.” Pyra took her worries out on another Bunnit, sending it down in a blazing glory. When the blast died down, the other Bunnits had seemingly disappeared, leaving the group alone. Frowning, Nia tried looking for them, knowing the little blighters were up to something when she suddenly felt a rumble on her feet and the feeling of having her legs ripped out from under her. Her scream was joined by Pyra’s as both the Driver’s fell to the ground, unable to get up.

“Oh no, this is not good!” Dromarch growled, already placing a shield in front of Nia as the Bunnits emerged from the ground.

“What’s going on?” Rex did the same for Pyra just in time, highly confused as to why she had fallen in the first place. 

“They’ve been toppled,” Gramps explained, peering over the rim of his helmet. “Some monsters have attack that can perform affects similar to those of a Driver combination. Those consist of break, topple, launch and smash. I’m guessing these Bunnits know a toppling move. The thing about combos is that they leave the Drivers defenceless and immobile.” Upon hearing that information, Rex’s eyes widened in horror. His shield could only last so long compared to Dromarch’s which would put Pyra in danger if the topple lasted longer than he could keep it up. He needed to do something, and fast.

“Dromarch! We need to do something!” He spoke loudly.

“Understood, what do you have in mind?” Glad that Dromarch understood his worries, Rex began explaining.

“If I could get in closer quickly, then we start a Blade combo,” he felt a bit guilty asking this of the other Blade. “Could I…?”

“If it helps My Lady, then I’ll allow it.” With the granted permission, Rex leapt onto Dromarch’s back. Taking that as his cue, Dromarch rushed towards the Bunnit mass allowing Rex to grab the Aegis Sword as he summoned a new pair of Twin Rings from the ether. Just as they were about to reach the creatures, Rex jumped off, setting the sword facing tip down as gravity began to work its magic. The Bunnits screeched as the flaming ground scorched their feet, some of which collapsed and vanished right then and there. Those who were left were sliced by waves of pressurised water whilst a healing mist covered the team. With that, all the Bunnits were dealt with. Nia and Pyra rose to their feet, the former groaning that a bunch of cuddly Bunnits got the better of her.

“Thanks for the save guys,” she said, sulking internally at the beginner move. “Glad to see Rex isn’t a Blade that’ll just stand around whilst his Driver’s incapacitated.”

“There are Blades that actually do that?” He questioned with a shocked expression, handing the Aegis Sword back to Pyra as he spoke.

“Quite so, I’m afraid,” Dromarch answered, walking to his Driver’s side. “It might be due to the fact the Blade takes their vanguard support role too seriously but it has lead to Drivers dying in the midst of combat. Another lesson though for you Rex, to save time you could have simply made another weapon from the ether.”

“Wait, I can do that?” Pyra giggled at his even more shocked look, gently patting him on the shoulder.

“Of course, all Blades can do it,” she thought for a moment before continuing. “However, you are still beginning so we can simply switch the weapon for the time being until I can teach you how to do that for our sword.”

“Okay, thanks Pyra.” Nia’s coughing interrupted them, her left foot tapping against the floor.

“That’s nice and all but we’re wasting time here,” she said, grinning at the sheepish expressions sent her way. “Since the Bunnits went okay, we’ll find something else to test your mettle. At this rate, we should be fine getting to Torigoth by midday so let’s get a move on.”

Under Nia and Dromarch’s tutelage, and the numbers of Ardun and Volff enemies they practised against, it was clear that Pyra and Rex were getting used to their new positions. Pyra was now more focused on how she was attacking and where she was hitting. She was getting more used to dodging attacks instead of relying on a shield to protect her all the time and she had already created her own art, Whirling Slice which was incredibly useful when backed by a Critical Up from Rex. As for Rex, he was finding control of the ether more natural as time progressed. His shields were more like Dromarch’s by the fight and he was getting quite used to using specials as time progressed.

The group had left Garanti Plains onto the Plains of Evening Calm, just a hop skip and jump away from Torigoth when the ground began to shake. Whilst the non-Gormott natives just looked around, confused as to why the Titan was trembling, Nia was already getting ready to run. She knew what was coming, she just had to get everyone away from it.

“Fucking hell,” she cursed, mentally telling herself off at the slip of her tongue. “HE’S coming. Dromarch, we need to get everyone out of here. We need to run, NOW!”

“Of course!” Dromarch was as panicked as she was, which was highly unusual for the cool and collected water Blade.

“What’s going on?” Pyra asked, trying to remain upright from how large and long the shaking had become. The pattern reminded her just a tad of footsteps.

“Questions later, just RUN!” Nia grabbed Rex by the wrist and ran off towards what seemed to be a slope down to a curved cove within the Titan’s hide. Both Pyra and Dromarch followed, jumping down into the cove just in time as an ear bursting roar arose from above them. The trembling got closer and louder, whatever it was making the sounds seemed to be heading towards them, until it didn’t. As quickly as it had arrived, the being behind the noise and shaking left, the rumbles getting further away from them slowly. Once it had stopped completely, everyone let out a breath they hadn’t been aware they had been holding.

“As I asked earlier,” Pyra spoke, her words muffled as she was speaking from behind her hands that covered her mouth. She moved them almost instantly after realising they were still there. “What was that?”

“That was Territorial Rotbart,” The Gormotti Driver explained, patting Dromarch’s fur for comfort. “He’s a unique monster, a right bloody pain in everyone’s arse. That thing has caused the deaths of multiple people for years.”

“The beast attacks anyone who enters its territory when it is nearby,” Dromarch continued, noticing that Nia was still freaked out by the near close encounter. “It is quite a formidable foe, which is why the citizens of Torigoth made this cove more useful for travellers. Hide in down here and the beast won’t find you. Whilst the locals have found ways to hide away from Rotbart if they hear it, visitors do not know what to do, which is why many of its kill count are new Drivers, merchants and the like. Even the Ardainian army know not to try and take on that foul beast.”

“Which is why the person who slays it would be considered a hero in Torigoth,” Nia finished, having recovered her composure and was no longer a ghastly shade of white. “But one Driver alone wouldn’t be able the handle the thing. He’s been around for 300 years, Torigoth has learnt to deal. Speaking of, we are close enough to smell it so we’ll be arriving soon, are the two of you gonna stick like that then?”

“No,” Pyra answered, speaking before Rex could get a word in edgeways. “Rumours from Argentum would have reached Gormott by now, they know I’m here. It would just put Rex in danger if I walked around with him in his Blade form. It’ll be safer if I’m the Blade whilst we’re here.”

“Are you sure?” At Pyra’s insistent nodding, Rex sighed but happily took the Aegis Sword from her. “Nia, you should close your eyes or something.” The Gormotti gave him a thumbs up, and the two silently switched. When Nia opened her eyes, Pyra was back in her more skin-tight armour and Rex’s salvager uniform was blue once again.

“Alright then, one last push to Torigoth and then I’ll lead you to an inn, okay?” She led the way out of the cove, and up to the largest city in Gormott with the others following right behind her, still slightly shaken from their near encounter with Territorial Rotbart.

~0~o~0~

Normally, Rex could say he was used to the sight of blood. Salvagers got injured all the time, nicking themselves on warped crates or getting hit with an attack from a monster that came up with a haul was all in the business. Heck, he’d once been slashed in the leg so badly whilst training on Argentum that he was put on bedrest for two weeks. However, seeing the blood pour out of the Gormotti man was something that wouldn’t leave his memory for the rest of his life. He still felt squeamish thinking about it, as if he was about to throw up.

Nia had lead them all to the back alley that led to another entrance for the inn following their witnessing of a Driver recruitment, mainly so that they wouldn’t be seen by the crowd. Whilst she was wanted as a member of Torna – Rex was surprised when he had seen wanted posters for Malos and Jin whilst Nia didn’t have one on the board – Pyra was the one who stuck out like a sore thumb, with his half of the Core Crystal not helping matters much. Now she and Gramps where helping him get his head around all this stuff that every Driver worth their salt would know.

“Blades form from the touch of a potential Driver, and it is with these forms we come to be known,” Pyra finished, touching her own Core Crystal as she spoke. “So, without a Driver, Blades can never truly exist at all.” Rex was drawn back into his thoughts, knowing that Pyra was still in her current form when he bonded with her. Did that mean her Driver was still alive or was this another Aegis case thing like his Core Crystal implant turning him into a Blade.

“HALT!” A loud voice brought him back to attention, finding that they had been cornered by Ardainian soldiers, much like the ones who were holding the Driver recruitment. “So, a member of Torna decided to show up in Torigoth? Gormotti Driver with a white beast form Blade. Consul Dughall will be pleased to know we’ve captured a terrorist.” The one speaking seemed to be their leader, judging by the fact his helmet was much taller than the others. “She looks just like in the wanted poster.”

“What wanted poster?” Pyra questioned, to which Rex responded with a shrug of the shoulders. He hadn’t seen one either. 

“See for yourself,” The leader held out a piece of paper with an image of Nia… that gave her Dromarch’s face and claws. Whomever had drawn such an abomination needed locking up in jail, at least that’s what Nia thought as the others tried their hardest not to laugh. “And as for you. You look like a Driver. What’s your Driver registration number?”

“LF15002.” Nia was slightly surprised by Rex’s response. Whilst it was kinda clear he was lying, if she hadn’t known any better then she would have believed that to be an actual registration number.

“Don’t lie to us, boy,” The head Ardainian scoffed. “That means you have no number, meaning you’re an illegal Driver. All Drivers need to be registered with Indol, that’s the official law. Men!”

“Yes, Captain Padraig?”

“We need to perform an arrest immediately, for the member of Torna and the illegal Driver assisting her!”

“Yessir!”

“Rex, you need to run.” Nia changed her stance into a more defensive one, ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice.

“Sorry Nia, but they kinda want to arrest me too,” Rex did the same, hand moving back to clutch the handle of his sword. “And I’m not going to leave you here.”

“Wait, you’re actually resisting arrest?!” Padraig was shocked that there was resistance by the terrorist and her accomplice. He pulled out his rifle, to which the other soldiers did the same when they were interrupted by another being.

“Why is it so noisy here,” A female was walking towards them, her purple hair with blue tips bouncing with her every step. She was wearing a revealing purple dress with a black underlayer, flame like gloves and high heeled boots that reached about her knees with a belt across her waist. Her eyes were closed, but by the way she was moving it was as if she could see without opening them. The most interesting part of her was the flame shaped Core Crystal on her chest, showing her status as a Blade. “Captain Padraig, might I ask what is going on?”

“Lady Brighid!” Padraig and the other Ardainian soldiers saluted at her. “We were about to arrest a terrorist from Torna and an illegal Driver, would you kindly assist us?”

“Torna, you say?” Brighid’s blue flame eyebrows narrowed, her face showing disgust where there was once nothing. Her head pivoted from Nia to Dromarch, then she rested on Pyra. “That Core Crystal, could it be the Aegis?” With one last turn, she landed on Rex, any signs of disgust turned into bewilderment. “Two emerald Core Crystals? It can’t be.” Drawing her Whipswords, she sent a wall of blue fire up around them, trapping them and Padraig in a small space. “Captain, we need to capture them alive, especially the two Aegises over there.” With one sword, she pointed to Pyra and Rex, form tight and brows furrowed.

“Yes ma’am,” he turned to his men outside of the fiery field. “You lot, get the you-know-what!”

“Yessir!” The Ardainian soldiers ran off, leaving them behind.

“Rex, do not underestimate her,” Gramps warned, looking at Brighid as if he was remembering an old friend. “Brighid is the Jewel of Mor Ardain, the strongest Blade in the Ardainian Empire. Even without her Driver, she can still hold her own quite easily.”

“Thanks Gramps,” Nia flicked an ear in Rex’s direction. “I’ll start with Brighid, and you take out the Captain guy, then we’ll tag team her.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Rex fully drew out the Aegis Sword, smiling at the warm feeling of the affinity link from the Driver’s side of the field. Dromarch did the same for Nia and they rushed into battle. Like Nia suggested, he focused on battling Padraig first. Rex tried his best at dodging the waves of bullets being flown at him, with Pyra picking up his slack by either burning them or putting up a shield to deflect them. Padraig wasn’t as big of an issue as Rex thought he would be, and with one Prominence Revolt, the man was sent flying towards the wall of the alley, dazed from the harsh impact against the stone. Now he could help Nia with Brighid.

With the two of them fighting her, parrying and blocking her swords, the fight had become shockingly easier. Since Rex was able to keep Brighid’s attention the entire time, probably due to the fact she was focused on the X shaped core on his chest, Nia was able to supply a constant healing process through Healing Halo and potion bottles dropped through Jaguar Slash. The combined forces of Nia and Rex were a bit too overwhelming for one person, Blade or not to deal with, especially following the two level 2 specials they had just used on her.

Brighid slid backwards from trying to dodge Aqua Wave, grunting as droplets of water hissed in contact with her body. However, she regained her composure, standing up straight with her weapons by her side. Nia and Dromarch took the chance, leaping up at her to deliver one last attack when two yellow mesh nets flew at them and ensnared them, harshly dropping them back down to earth.

“Ha ha ha!” Padraig was back on his feet, shakily holding the wall to keep himself upright. “That is an ether net! You can’t use your specials or arts now, terrorist!”

“Nia!” Rex ran over to free her, only for a wall of Brighid’s flames to sprout up between them.

“I believe you should take this as your cue to surrender peacefully, Aegis,” Brighid warned. “You’re outmatched even with your lack of a skill as a Driver. I have many questions, but they can wait until you both are in custody.” All seemed lost, there was no escape and no way out of this situation. Just as everything was over, something went flying overhead, cutting into the water pipe right above Brighid’s head. She screamed as she was drenched, her fire walls put out by the cascading water everywhere.

“Rex, go! Don’t worry about me, just go! Run!” Nia yelled, knowing that the confusion would allow him to escape easily. As she saw him faltering, she yelled louder. “Don’t give yourself up because of me, you and Pyra get out of here! Run and never look back! Now GO!” Pyra placed her hand on Rex’s shoulder, dragging him back towards the wooden pathways that latched on to the edge of the alley’s back entrance. They ran away, getting a decent head start due to the bumbling soldiers who were still stupefied about the burst pipe.

“You…” Nia looked up from where she was restrained into Brighid’s thunderous face. “You just cost us the Aegis. The Aegises!”

“Good! I’m glad that you bloody Ardainian sods don’t have them!” Despite the fact that these people could easily have her killed with a flick of a finger, she gladly mocked her captors with a smirk on her face.

“Captain Padraig, take the prisoners to confinement until the warship arrives,” Brighid instructed. “We’ll see what Lady Mòrag has to say about them.”

“Yes ma’am!” The captain and his men dragged Nia and Dromarch out of the alleyway, ignoring the hissing and creative insults being thrown at them. Brighid watched them leave, turning towards the exit and the way a handful of soldiers had run in pursuit.

“The emerald Core Crystal is the sign of the Aegis,” she muttered to herself, remembering what had been written in her journal and from what she had been told by her Driver. “So then, why didn’t Lady Mòrag mention the fact there were two of them. And if they were both the Aegis, then why were they on the same side and not fighting against each other…” Despite the fact that what she had seen was heavily conflicting with what she knew, Brighid remained composed. “We’ll see what Mòrag has to say about this. I’m sure she’ll find it… most interesting.” 


End file.
